Nathan told me some about their father. Trajan Mayfair was actually General Vukašin Prvoven?ani, dominant Black Beast of the Prvoven?ani bloodline. His was the oldest and most powerful lycanthrope bloodline in existence, and Trajan, the most feared leader in lycanthrope history.
He killed his own father to take control of the massive army that his father commanded.
Trajan Mayfair was no do-gooder saint. He was a dangerous killer and only by time and age did he begin to tame his ways.
“My father doesn’t mingle with humans,” said Isaac, “unless he has to.”
Suddenly, I was no longer afraid of Rachel. I was completely afraid of Isaac’s father. This was a very different kind of fear; this fear demanded respect.
Isaac said then, “It’s another reason he’s going back to Serbia. Other than taking control of his army again, there are too many humans and fledglings here. My father has never been tolerable to fledglings, not even his own.”
“And humans,” I added, “He doesn’t trust himself around them, does he?”
Isaac just looked away from my eyes.
“Humans have always been,” he began, “a liability to my father; oblivious to the real dangers of this world and the weakest of all species. Though my father can be counted among the most notorious leaders of our history, it’s those like Viktor Vargas, reckless and power hungry, who are the greatest threat to the human race as a whole.
“Unlike my father, Viktor must steal the respect of his loyals,” he went on. “And he does it without regard for the consequences.” He glanced at me once. “You see; my father doesn’t protect humans because he has a soft spot for them. He protects them only to keep Viktor’s bloodline from wiping them out.”
I couldn’t speak for a moment. I felt insignificant and anxious.
“It’s been going on forever,” Isaac said, “this war between them—from the time I was born, I can only remember this war. My brothers and sisters and I were…” He stopped and stared at the wall, his jawline more pronounced. “…it shouldn’t bother me because I’ve known nothing else, but spending so much time around humans and seeing how they live and love, I guess it does make me somewhat envious.”
My heart fell heavy for him and I still had yet to learn exactly why.
“Envious of what?” I urged him softly.
Isaac shook his head. “My father never loved Sibyl. She was chosen because of her strength. At the time, there was no female more powerful than Sibyl.”
Isaac looked right at me then. “We were bred merely for war,” he revealed. “My training started before I could form a full sentence.”
My lips parted gently, stunned. I started to speak, but stopped myself because what I had wanted to say about Isaac’s father was nothing kind.
“I love my father,” Isaac said, “and I don’t condemn him for our ways, but experiencing human ways has made me envious.”
“So you were born this way,” I said. “You weren’t Turned like Sebastian?”
Isaac nodded once. “No, I’m a Pureblood,” he said. “Like all of my brothers and sisters. I’m proud to be who I am, proud that he is my father; don’t get me wrong.”
He stood from the bed and went to the window then. I followed and sat on the windowsill. “You don’t want to go with him to Serbia?” I said.
He looked down at me, his eyes soft with assurance. “I was going to go, until I met you. I couldn’t leave now for anything.”
It made me feel guilty. I didn’t want to be the reason he separated from his father.
“Adria,” he said, detecting that guilt, “I want to stay, not only because your life is in danger, but because I want to be with you.” He moved to stand in front of me and cradled the back of my head in his hand, pressing my face gently against his chest. “I won’t lie and say I didn’t try to stay away from you at first. I wanted nothing to do with you. I knew that if I followed my heart, I’d put you in more danger.”
I jerked my head away and looked up at him. “I don’t care,” I said. “You can’t take it back now anyway.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” Isaac said.
“Leave me?”
“No. You’re stuck with me.” He grinned.
I stood from the windowsill and pressed my lips against his. “I’d have it no other way,” I said and then he kissed me more deeply.
Something had been bothering me since long before I knew the truth about Isaac and although I didn’t want to ruin this moment with him, I had to ask and get it out of the way. As embarrassed as I knew it would make me.
I bit the inside of my mouth gently and crossed my arms, turning away from him. He detected something off right away.
“What’s wrong?” He appeared concerned.
I paused for an even longer awkward time than I had wanted. “Those girls…” I hesitated once more—just couldn’t get the words out in a way that satisfied my need to not seem overly jealous, or obsessive. “…well, obviously you’re attractive, but….”
He smiled knowingly, which made my face burn hotter.
By now, I had given up trying to word it right.
“It’s an Alpha thing,” Isaac said. “The girls around here naturally and instinctively want a powerful male.”
I think even Isaac was blushing a bit now.
“It’ll either be me or Nathan when my father leaves,” he added.
Half of me was relieved by his answer. The other half, undecided. I needed to get used to so many extraordinary things as it was. The possibility of Isaac becoming Alpha wasn’t something I could understand yet.
Isaac took me home late. I lost track of time more at his house every day, but I think he would rather I forgot altogether. I wasn’t safe at home. But I couldn’t worry Beverlee and Uncle Carl. They had been through enough.
14
ISAAC AND I SPENT every day together. When I was apart from him at school, he was with me in text messages, or watching the school from across the parking lot. To anyone else it might have appeared stalker-like, but Isaac had plenty of reason.
He and many others in the Mayfair house were hell bent on protecting me, including Nathan and Daisy Mayfair who had become like family.
Sebastian finally came back to school, shortly after Julia’s funeral, which none of us attended. Her parents decided on a private funeral for family only. They moved away from Hallowell the following day.
Sebastian was welcomed by everyone, even though his excuse for what happened was that he ran away; tore his room up out of rage.
Tori was not so welcoming, however. She hated him for leaving her like that, but hated him more for choosing ‘the freak’, Zia, over her and so every time she and her new friends passed us, Tori always had something spiteful to mutter. I was proud of Zia for keeping her cool, but only Sebastian and I knew there was more to it than maturity. Zia couldn’t lose it, or else Tori and the rest of the school would get one nasty surprise.
“Why do you even go to school?” I said to Zia outside on the football field at lunch.
“Well,” Zia said, “I don’t really have to. I only enrolled to keep track of you because of your sister. Now, honestly, you’re my agenda.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Here comes Harry,” I whispered.
Harry had not hung out with us in two days. I tried to talk to him on the phone, but he wouldn’t take my calls, and at school, he wandered around alone. This had to stop and Zia and I had to think of something worthy to tell him. It was no secret that Zia and Sebastian were together. I just couldn’t take this anymore, seeing Harry act this way and knowing it was partly my fault he was so hurt by everything.
I had never stopped thinking about what to tell him since he last spoke to me. But all of that thinking got me nowhere.
Harry approached swiftly, as if he too was tired of the silence.
Zia looked at me and I could tell she was as unsure about what to do as I was. With Sebastian in the mix, the situation couldn’t be any worse. I winced when he stopped in front of us, his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans.
“I’m sorry, man,” he said to Sebastian. “I’m just glad you’re not dead, y’know?”
Zia and I locked eyes. We couldn’t move the muscles in our faces, but apparently this was going to resolve itself and I’d be able to breathe again soon.
Sebastian man-hugged Harry, gripping his fist in one hand and patting his back with the other. “Hey, no problem,” he said and then he dropped his voice. “I didn’t know about...,” he indicated Zia with the movement of his eyes. “...I really didn’t.”
Zia walked around in front of them. “Harry, I’m really sorry. Sebastian and I liked each other before I came to the school.”
“I know,” Harry said. His posture was awkward, but he was slowly becoming himself again. “It’s cool; I just wanted to get this out in the open so we could all get back to normal again. Sucks eating lunch at the loner table.”
I couldn’t help but smile. This was perfect. I got one of my best friend’s back without turmoil in-between.
“And Adria,” said Harry, “I feel like a real ass for dragging you into this.”
“No way,” I said, “I should’ve told you something.”
Harry argued, “You were stuck in the middle of it and that’s my fault—”
I put up my hand and stopped him.
“But enough of this,” he obeyed, “it’s done and over with. Have you guys heard what Tori’s been saying around the school?”
“Which part?” said Zia, “That I sleep around, or that Sebastian hit her when they were going out, or that she found Sebastian and I together and she busted my lip?”
“Yeah, I guess you have heard then,” said Harry. “That girl is psycho.”
“Yeah,” Zia grumbled, “there’s no way she could bust my lip.”
I was glad things were back to normal. The school rival stuff was no big deal. I didn’t care that because I was friends with Zia that the rumors about her included me also, or that I had enemies. Nothing anyone at school could do would ever match what I faced on the outside.
The days were getting colder and I dreaded the coming winter, especially in Maine. I hoped it would hold off long because I hated snow. I was a southern girl, used to heat and humidity and the occasional tornado.
Friday morning was blustery and I know I looked like an Eskimo when Isaac picked me up for school.
“Cold?” he said, making fun of me.
I pulled the faux fur hood away from my head and scooted over next to him. “I’m not going to make it through the winter,” I said.
He wasn’t even wearing a jacket; a long-sleeved, tight-fitting thermal black shirt was his idea of warm clothing. Not that I had any arguments; he looked awesome in black.
“It’s technically not even winter yet,” he laughed and then said with a grin, “But I’ll keep you warm.”